Ming Hao gripped the Blood-Patterned Ring, his expression grim and strangely unsettling. His eyes were shadowed, and he let out a sharp, cold roar.

Threads of inky black soul smoke began to drift out from the face of the ring, carrying Ming Hao's distinctly chilling and icy spiritual signature.

He plunged his soul into the artifact, probing its depths, seemingly locked in a struggle with the spirit within, trying to verify the suspicion burning in his mind.

The moment Ming Hao spoke, the expressions of everyone present shifted dramatically, their gazes snapping toward him.

Xuan He and Feliot exchanged a meaningful glance, their expressions growing grave. They made no move to stop Ming Hao's actions, instead frowning deeply as they focused intently on the ring.

When Ming Hao voiced his accusation, Shi Yan's spirit was violently shaken, as if a bolt of lightning had split his mind, tearing through layers of confusion and shattering the mist.

The instant Ming Hao’s soul entered the ring, the connection with the Spirit was instantly severed. He couldn't perceive what was happening inside the artifact, but he knew that the Spirit was likely compromised...

He thought back carefully, recalling the two instances where he had absorbed the Spirit’s memories. The first was in the Shattered Star Domain; that memory, left by Xuan He, had been integrated into the ring. The Spirit memory left by Xuan He should have been fine; after fusion, the Spirit behaved normally, showing no abnormalities.

The second memory came from the Ancient Continent Wilderness, derived from the Xuan Shan skeletal remains refined by the Chatris family.

That time, after the memory fusion, the Spirit had fallen silent for a very, very long time...

Afterward, the Spirit began to act strangely—evasive, reluctant to fully explain matters, stuttering constantly, as if it had developed its own agenda and was gradually distancing itself from him.

At Black Iron City of the Giant Tide Merchant Guild, when the Spirit first encountered a severed finger belonging to Bloodthirst, a massive change occurred: it abruptly cut off contact with him, grandly proclaiming it only recognized one Master.

From then on, the Spirit acted like a completely different entity, gradually seizing the initiative in their dialogues, pressuring him to seek out the rest of Bloodthirst’s remains, and engaging him in various negotiations.

Reflecting on it all, Shi Yan realized that after merging the Spirit memory acquired from Xuan Shan’s remains, the Spirit had fundamentally changed—it grew increasingly alien, nothing like it was before.

Previously, the Spirit was merely an artifact spirit, lacking complex thought. Then, after absorbing Xuan Shan's memory, it transformed into a highly intelligent being, acquiring greed, self-will, the ability to manipulate, and a penchant for bargaining and trade...

Sucking in a cold breath, he looked toward Ming Hao, waiting, just like Xuan He and Feliot, for a sensible explanation.

The darkness enveloping the Island of Darkness receded. The victor of the battle against Torey emerged from the island: Randolph of the Divine Race’s Chatris family. His appearance held a slight resemblance to Hassen, but he was significantly older, gaunt, and his expression was vacant, radiating an air of unapproachability.

Randolph was only at the first heaven of the Origin God realm, but his mastery of the "Purgatory Burn" profound mystery secured his victory.

Stepping out of the dark island, he ignored Xuan He, Feliot, and Shi Yan. He simply moved to stand behind Ming Hao, his face a mask of reverence, as if silently guarding him.

Xuan He let out a cold snort, a shard of ice flashing in his eyes. He profoundly disliked Randolph; given Xuan He’s nature, he would undoubtedly make Randolph pay dearly at the first opportunity.

After a long silence, Ming Hao’s eyes, usually filled with indistinct specters, slowly sharpened, though his features remained blurred. He blinked a few times, maintaining the soul connection with the ring, then looked up at Xuan He and explained in a cold voice.

"In those days, you, Luo Ro, and Xuan Shan each held a portion of the Spirit memory, meant to select the inheritor for the Master. Luo Ro succeeded on the Divine Grace Continent but at the cost of his own annihilation. You failed on the Ancient Demon Continent because you could not harness the power of the Ancient Continent's source."

Here, Ming Hao paused slightly, his expression turning quite peculiar.

"Xuan Shan did not choose to go to my Underworld Sovereign Clan's Divine Marsh Continent; instead, he journeyed to the heartland of the Divine Race, the Ancient God Continent. You all assumed Xuan Shan had gone mad, that he had lost his senses, or that... he had been misled by me."

Ming Hao gave a low huff toward Xuan He. "Your brother Xuan Shan was not the leader of our faction, but in my estimation, he was no lesser than any of us. I have always held Xuan Shan in high regard, and our personal bond was excellent. You all assumed that because Xuan Shan did not go to the Divine Marsh Continent, it was either because I directed him or because he showed me deference. Especially you, Xuan He; you have always believed that I was responsible for Xuan Shan's death—that my presence prevented him from going to the Divine Marsh Continent, sending him instead to the Ancient God Continent to die."

"Wasn't it so?" Xuan He sneered. "In those days, my brother admired you the most, and it was because of you that he didn't go to the Divine Marsh Continent. Had he gone there, he would never have suffered complete spiritual and corporeal annihilation!"

At that moment, Xuan He's usual sinister indifference vanished, replaced by a sharp, cold bitterness, as if he had suddenly transformed into a different person.

"I know this is your festering complex, Xuan He, it always has been—you constantly believe Xuan Shan was murdered by me. This is also why you deliberately hurt my sister, Adeah, brutally severing the romantic ties between you, causing Adeah misery for millennia. Even now, Adeah refuses to forgive you, believing I was the cause of your destined separation," Ming Hao’s voice was low and heavy as he sighed softly.

Xuan He's face immediately contorted with extreme displeasure. He let out another cold snort, offering no explanation, clearly indicating that everything Ming Hao had stated was the truth.

Yet, in his eyes flashed a bone-deep grief, a sorrow that had tormented him for ten thousand years, robbing him of peace, corroding his soul through countless lonely nights...

Feliot glanced at him and shook his head with a silent sigh, pitying his friend.

Having known Xuan He for many years, Feliot was aware of Xuan He’s dissolute nature, how many beautiful women from various races he had wronged.

But Feliot also knew that the current Patriarch of the Underworld Sovereign Clan, Ming Hao’s own sister Adeah, was Xuan He’s lifelong nightmare—the only person Xuan He had ever truly loved, the one with whom he had intended to spend the endless eons to come.

Alas, fate played its cruel hand. When Xuan He learned that Xuan Shan had not gone to the Divine Marsh Continent but had perished tragically on the Ancient God Continent, he placed the entire blame squarely on Ming Hao.

He believed Ming Hao had killed his brother and hated Ming Hao to the core!

But Ming Hao existed in countless forms and never met him face-to-face, and since there was no concrete evidence proving Ming Hao’s involvement in Xuan Shan’s death, Xuan He could not act against him directly.

However, he could no longer accept Adeah!

Because of his younger brother’s brutal death, he redirected his hatred toward the woman he loved most. He deliberately hurt Adeah, wounding the only woman he had ever truly loved until she was shattered physically and emotionally!

He derived no pleasure from it.

On the contrary, for the next ten thousand years, every time Adeah was filled with sorrow, Xuan He’s pain was tenfold hers!

Feliot still remembered the profound desolation and despair Xuan He felt when he learned that Audrey had casually married a mere noble of the Underworld Sovereign Clan—a pain that made him feel utterly dead inside. Feliot understood better than anyone how agonizingly Xuan He had survived these past ten thousand years.

Sometimes, Feliot even thought he would rather be sealed in darkness than endure the daily torment Xuan He lived through.

In his eyes, the life Xuan He endured was true, perpetual darkness.

"You, Xuan He, will never know that when Xuan Shan was preparing to go to the Ancient God Continent, I strongly tried to dissuade him, urging him to go to the Divine Marsh Continent. For his sake, I even humbled myself and secretly contacted my sister, asking Adeah to subtly ease his passage."

Ming Hao took a breath and sighed. "Xuan Shan agreed at the time, but afterward, he secretly went to the Ancient God Continent because, like us, he also wished to avenge the Master. Xuan Shan’s reasoning was sharp; he was not foolish. At that time, the Divine Lord's physical body had turned to dust, his soul dormant, and the Four Heavenly Kings were scattered across the star seas searching for traces of our sacred ground. The Ancient God Continent lacked any truly powerful figures..."

"My brother still died," Xuan He cut in sharply.

"His death was not truly caused by the Divine Race, but by that Spirit."

Ming Hao’s eyes turned cold. He looked down at the Blood-Patterned Ring and said gravely, "At the time, all of us assumed Xuan Shan had failed; no one ever suspected he had actually succeeded. He stole a portion of the Ancient God Continent’s source energy and, using the artifact's internal mechanism, successfully lured an extra-domain soul. But midway... something went wrong. I still don't know the exact nature of the accident; the process remains unclear. The result, however, was that the extra-domain soul devoured one-third of the Spirit held by Xuan Shan, fused its memories, and imprinted itself upon Xuan Shan’s remains after his death. That Spirit also gave rise to Hassen."

Upon hearing this, Xuan He, Feliot, and Shi Yan were all struck with utter horror.

"After years of secretly tracking this with my energy, this is the conclusion I could reach, yet I remained uncertain. It was only when Shi Yan fused the soul from Xuan Shan's remains into the Blood-Patterned Ring in the Ancient Continent, and yet he still did not return to the sacred ground, remaining unclear about many things, that I began to form a suspicion.

"In Black Iron City, I had the Merchant Guild President present a segment of the Master's hand bone for the final confirmation. When I saw how desperately it sought possession of the Master's bone, and how subtly its connection with Shi Yan’s soul shifted—I became even more certain. At that time, I projected my soul onto the remains of Muwei and Bai Yefeng, intending to seize the ring for a look, which would have confirmed everything, but I was secretly sabotaged by Feliot’s Corpse Demon." Ming Hao continued his explanation.

"That hand bone provided by the Giant Tide Merchant Guild President was arranged by you? If so, why would he allow my Corpse Demon near it?" Feliot asked grimly.

"He is a merchant," Ming Hao replied.

"Continue," Feliot said, nodding after a moment’s thought.

"At that time, I didn't possess the Blood-Patterned Ring, so I couldn't be definitively certain, but I continued my observation in secret. The moment this brat arrived at the sacred ground and entered the Island of Devouring, instantly activating that ancient formation, and then emerged clamoring to gather the Master’s scattered bones—by then, I already had a clear idea in my mind."

This time, Ming Hao looked directly at Shi Yan and scoffed. "By then, I was almost certain the original Spirit was gone, but I also harbored doubts about you. I wasn't even sure if you were still yourself. I suspected you were either dead, your divine body usurped by it, or your soul completely bound and forced to obey its every command."

"In my view, regardless of the circumstances, you absolutely could not be allowed to become the Sovereign Lord. I can surmise its objective: it has fused all three parts of the Spirit’s memory, knows everything—even secrets unknown to us eight retainers. It intends to gather the Master’s remains, merge its soul into the Master's body, and transform into... our new Master."

Shi Yan, Xuan He, and Feliot were struck by absolute terror. By now, they believed Ming Hao’s words at least eighty percent, and they looked toward the ring with fearful apprehension.